「Three days flashed by.」
Hong Yuan embarked on the journey back to the Sect.
As he entered the forest, his eyes were greeted with various ancient trees and woods of myriad forms, overwhelming his senses—towering trees reaching into the clouds, ground roots crisscrossed like Flood Dragons, and "Sky Gardens" hosting ferns, lichens, mosses, and orchids.
RUSTLE...
With every step Hong Yuan took on the dry branches and fallen leaves, creating sound, the predators of the forest turned their gaze towards this bold and daring lone human.
Hong Yuan was aware of the stealthy surveillance, but his expression remained calm as he continued on his way.
Perhaps Hong Yuan's relaxed demeanor was too much, for a Flower Snake, two meters in length, leaped down from the tree canopy above, aiming to strangle him.
BUZZ, BUZZ, BUZZ!
Suddenly, a strong and powerful wing-beating sound arose, and three Sting Bee Worms and over two hundred Tiger Head Bees flew out of the basket behind Hong Yuan.
Seeing this, the Flower Snake hastily twisted its body, but it was already in mid-air, with nowhere to leverage itself.
In an instant, the black light formed by the Sting Bee Worms and Tiger Head Bees swept over the Flower Snake. In the blink of an eye, the snake was reduced to a puddle of blood, with not a bone left intact.
SPLAT... The blood splashed onto the dry branches and fallen leaves on the ground, instantly corroding large, irregular circular holes into them.
This swarm of insects was indeed extremely fierce.
"Not bad, not bad," Hong Yuan said with a light smile, nodding his head with great satisfaction.
With a thought, the three Sting Bee Worms led the group of Tiger Head Bees back into the basket.
He continued on his way.
This time, there seemed to be no other clueless predators.
At noon, the sun was high, scorching the earth unbearably. Even walking in the shade, Hong Yuan could feel the dry heat in the air.
HEH HEH...
Suddenly, Hong Yuan let out a strange laugh. He stuck out his tongue and licked his parched lips.
The scent of fresh blood! He smelled the same odor that had lingered these past three days. How familiar this scent is!
Following the origin of the smell, Hong Yuan saw several black wolves lying on the green grass, bleeding profusely. However, they had been turned into corpses, with wolf legs, wolf heads, and internal organs all scattered about—none remained whole.
CLANG! CLANG!
Just then, Hong Yuan heard a burst of intense sounds of swords clashing.
Looking toward the southeast, he saw five Phoenix Creek Sect Disciples currently being viciously chased by a pack of black wolves, struggling to survive.
Tch, and I thought it was bandits robbing people. That would have been a great chance to openly kill and plunder, get rich quick! Turns out it's just some wolves trapping them, Hong Yuan thought, disappointed and bored.
The Phoenix Creek Sect prohibited fighting among fellow disciples, so Hong Yuan didn't bother to interfere. He turned and quickly left.
He had no thought of helping. The disciples of the Medicine Hall were mostly poor early on; he couldn't squeeze many Energy Stones out of them. Staying to collect their bodies wasn't as good as returning early to the Refining Equipment Hall to report his progress as a forger to Senior Brother Zhu and take on new forging tasks.
"Yiru, there's someone over there! Why don't we divert the wolves to him and then make our escape?" Yang Sen said, gasping for air. He was the main force against the wolves, and the current situation was very taxing for him.
"No! We can't drag innocent people into the trouble we've caused ourselves," Lin Yiru firmly refused, her face resolute.
Yang Sen nearly spat out blood upon hearing this. Damn, what a foolish woman! If it weren't for your father, I would have dealt with you long ago!
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
The wolves were fierce and cunning. Yang Sen quickly reined in his thoughts and focused on dealing with the pack.
Lin Yiru scattered medicine powder with one hand to prevent the wolves from attacking en masse, while wielding her sword with the other, looking for a way out.
Yet, the more she searched, the more helpless she felt. For some reason, she cast her gaze towards the figure who was almost out of sight in the distance. As soon as she saw him, her heart jolted, and she shouted, "Hong Yuan!?"
The figure in the distance stopped and slowly turned back to look towards them.
Lin Yiru knew she had guessed correctly; this figure was indeed the top genius, Hong Yuan!
With Hong Yuan's rate of cultivation, his current strength must be extraordinary. With his help, driving back the pack of wolves wouldn't be an issue, she thought.
Far away, Hong Yuan squinted his eyes as he looked at Lin Yiru.
I've been incredibly low-profile since entering the Refining Equipment Hall, so how could this woman know me?
"Hong Yuan, help us! Please help us!!!" Lin Yiru shouted loudly.
But Hong Yuan was unmoved; he wasn't the type to lose his way at the sight of a woman. He had already turned around and continued walking toward the Sect.
"I can give you Energy Stones! Lots and lots of Energy Stones! My master is a Sect Elder! And so is my father!!!"
WHOA!
Hong Yuan turned around and swiftly approached Lin Yiru and the others.
Energy Stones, lots and lots of Energy Stones? Just for dealing with these black wolves, I'd basically be picking up Energy Stones for free!
A black wolf tried to block Hong Yuan but was swiftly cut in two by him.
He approached Lin Yiru and the Disciples of the Medicine Hall with incredible ease.
No sooner had he approached than Lin Yiru's stunning beauty struck him, but in an instant, Hong Yuan asked about the price for his assistance.
Could a woman compare with Energy Stones?
"How many Energy Stones can you offer?" Hong Yuan asked, as he lifted his Tang Sword and effortlessly drove the black wolves away.
"How many do you want?" Lin Yiru asked, sounding as if she wasn't short on cash.
"Oho…" Hong Yuan's eyes lit up at her response. "Two hundred. I'll resolve this crisis for you for two hundred Energy Stones."
"Impossible!" Yang Sen roared as he struck down a black wolf, glaring fiercely at Hong Yuan. But in the blink of an eye, he was tangled up with the wolves again, unable to be distracted.
"Two hundred Energy Stones..." Lin Yiru's mouth hung open slightly, clearly frightened by Hong Yuan's extortionate price.
It would take me two years of work to earn two hundred Energy Stones!
"Fine," Lin Yiru gritted her teeth and agreed. "My name is Lin Yiru, a Disciple of the Medicine Hall. I don't have that many Energy Stones on me right now. I'll give them to you when we get back."
Hong Yuan, hearing Lin Yiru voluntarily state her name and affiliation, was already half-convinced.
In fact, even if Lin Yiru hadn't given her name, I could have found her. With such astonishing beauty, there must be many in the Sect who know her!
"I believe you. You don't seem like the type to lie," Hong Yuan said with a smile, feigning generosity.
"FWEEEE..." Hong Yuan pretended to whistle but was actually silently activating the Sting Bee Worms.
BUZZ! BUZZ! BUZZ!!!
A strong and forceful buzzing noise erupted as three Sting Bee Worms, along with over two hundred Tiger Head Bees, surged out from the basket on Hong Yuan's back.
"Go, my darlings," Hong Yuan whispered softly.
"This... this... this…" Lin Yiru turned pale with fear, pointing at the Sting Bee Worms and Tiger Head Bees.
"Ever heard of a beekeeper?" Hong Yuan chuckled.
BOOM!
The three Sting Bee Worms and the swarm of over two hundred Tiger Head Bees became like a black light. Any black wolf caught in their path dissolved into a puddle of blood. The remaining wolves scattered in terror.
Such a horrifying sight stunned Lin Yiru, Yang Sen, and the others, leaving them staring blankly at Hong Yuan.
Once again, Hong Yuan feigned whistling a strange tune, but in reality, he was mentally urging the Sting Bee Worms.
In a moment, the Sting Bee Worms returned with the Tiger Head Bees.
All the Sting Bee Worms and Tiger Head Bees re-entered the basket on Hong Yuan's back. He closed the lid, and tranquility returned.
"Remember your two hundred Energy Stones, Lin Yiru. I expect them all within a month!" Hong Yuan reminded her, then quickly left, returning to the Sect.
Lin Yiru still hadn't snapped back to reality. She stared blankly at the blood-stained grass and the irregular round holes corroded into the ground.
GULP...
Five sounds of swallowing saliva echoed through the field.